March 19, 2012

Bill seeks to restore presidential primaries

The Associated Press

AUGUSTA — A legislative committee is considering a bill to hold presidential primaries in Maine, where party caucuses have long been the favored method for party faithful to select their White House nominees.

Senate President Kevin Raye told the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee today that his proposal,  LD 1882, would encourage voter participation and make presidential preference selection parallel with direct elections for lower elective offices.

Raye is a Republican who represents Washington County, where Republicans were angered over how February's caucuses were administered by the Maine GOP. A delay in county caucuses raised questions over whether residents' votes would count.

A Democratic committee member, Rep. Linda Valentino of Saco, questioned the timing of Raye's bill so late in the legislative session, given that the next presidential election cycle is four years away.

Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form

Send question/comment to the editors




Further Discussion

Here at KJonline.com we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion. To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use.

Questions about the article? Add them below and we’ll try to answer them or do a follow-up post as soon as we can. Technical problems? Email them to us with an exact description of the problem. Make sure to include:
  • Type of computer or mobile device your are using
  • Exact operating system and browser you are viewing the site on (TIP: You can easily determine your operating system here.)


Most…